1. Mentoring The rising mentee and the modern mentor
Everything you wanted to know about mentoring

2. So, what is mentoring?
“Mentoring is a relationship which gives people the opportunity to share their professional skills and experiences and to grow and develop in the process. Typically, mentoring takes place between a more experiences and a less experienced employee.”
(Office of the Director of Equal Opportunity in Public Employment (1997) Mentoring)

3. Types of Mentoring
Facilitated mentoring: When mentoring is formally established to meet specific organisational objectives (i.e. induction training)
Key person replacement: When mentoring is used to prepare someone to take over from another person (i.e. succession planning)
Informal, short term: Spontaneous and off-the-cuff mentoring (i.e. giving advice)
Informal, long term: When mentoring is a continuous relationship
Reverse mentoring: Partnerships between an older experience executive and younger, less experienced newcomer. As the name suggests, the younger employee serves as the mentor.

4. What can I use a mentor for?
Job orientation: Someone who helps you settle in to your new job/company
Career transition: Someone with whom you review your career goals and plans
Skills: Someone who will help you develop specific skills
Professional or personal development: Someone who will help you grow
Confidant: Someone who is there for you
Technical advisor: Someone with whom you can discuss technical questions
Correspondent: Someone to whom you explain your ideas

5. Before you choose a mentor…
BE CLEAR ON:
What you hope to gain from a mentoring relationship
The type of mentor best for helping you meet your objectives
Your short-term career goals (where do you see your self in the next year or two and what knowledge, skills and abilities do you need to get there?)
What key experiences could a mentor provide that would benefit you most?

6. How do I choose one right for me?
The best mentors:
Are excited about learning and who are continuing their own development
Have a desire to be active participants in others’ learning and growth
Set high standards for their work and can set an example for you
Are known for their skill set to which you are wanting to attain

7. Work Mentoring: Engage your Manager
Gain Manager’s buy in by:
Involving them in the selection of your mentor
Gaining input into your development needs
Explaining the outcomes you are hoping to achieve
Providing them with regular updates on your progress

8. Approaching your mentor
The onus for initiating a mentoring relations is on YOU
You need to have the self-confidence to approach a potential mentor and effectively present the merits of a mentoring relationship so that both parties gain something from this
Share your short-term goals, your accomplishments and your major developmental needs and objectives
Be completely honest in your explanation of why you want a mentor and why you are asking this particular person to be the mentor

9. How to be mentored High self-awareness Ability to listen
You need:
High self-awareness
Ability to listen
Taking ownership
Accountability for actions
Willingness to learn

10. How to be a good mentee
Be prepared for your sessions (on time, organised, able to update on progress)
Establish a mutually agreeable plan for mentoring sessions including how much time and when you will meet
If you need to postpone a session, agree on how much notice you need to give each other
Let your mentor know who you are – share you hopes, dreams, fears, ideas and goals
Focus on the relationship rather than the outcomes.
Listen with an open mind
Ask curious questions – in fact don’t be afraid to ask any questions!
Provide context and updates to your mentor
Respect your mentors boundaries
Follow up on all your agreements and commitments
Say thank you – remember to thank your mentor for their time and effort and the value they are making to your progress.

11. Characteristics of a great mentor
Respected within or external to the organisation
High level of relevant experience
Ability to get on with people
Excellent communication skills
Humility/desire to continue to learn

12. Reverse Mentoring: What is this?
What is reverse mentoring:
Popularized by Jack Welch, CEO of GE, reverse mentoring is an approach that acknowledges that everyone in the organisation brings something to the table. Reverse mentoring partnerships generally include an older, more experienced executive with a younger, less-experienced newcomer. As the name suggests, the younger employee servers as the mentor. Yet, reverse mentoring is indeed a two-way street.
What are the benefits of reverse mentoring?
Reverse mentoring gives senior executives an opportunity to stay up-to-date with the latest business technologies and workplace trends but it also helps junior employees see the larger picture and gives them a glimpse of macro-level management issues. Reverse mentoring also increases retention of Gen Y employees and gives senior executives the satisfaction of sharing their knowledge with the next generation. It increases multi-generational engagement and helps reduce conflicts between generations in the work place.

13. Reverse Mentoring Tips
Any tips on starting a reverse mentoring program?
Make the perfect match Reverse mentoring involves two people with extremely different, experiences, backgrounds and cultures; therefore creating the ideal mentoring partnership is vital.  Choose mentors who possess good social skills and have the confidence to interact with and teach senior management.
Set a level playing field Start the reverse mentoring program with a fun and informal orientation. The orientation should give the mentors and mentees an opportunity to interact with each other as individuals – not as the boss of the whole place or as the newbie who is fresh out of grad school. This will set the stage for the whole program and in time help erase traditional hierarchies.
Set specific formal goals but allow space for individual innovation It is important to list out what the reverse mentoring program aims to achieve in general, for all participants. However each mentoring partnership is unique. So mentors and mentees may also enjoy and benefit from helping each other in ways not defined by the program. A young mentor might help a C-suite Exec choose a new cell phone. Or a CEO might share tips on how a new entrant can advance his / her career. So factor in the need for informal goals to be met as well.

14. You found your mentor and your about to meet…
YOU must be the driver of your meetings so be prepared
What should your mentor know about you in order to work most successfully with you?
What are your desired outcomes for the mentoring relationship?
What do you expect from your mentor?
How will you know if the relationship is working? How will you gauge this?
Before commencing your first meeting it is best to send them your thoughts on the above so that they can prepare themselves for meeting with you. They will have an outline from your initial discussions, but this will help to make the meetings more productive.

15. I’ve been asked to be a mentor….
Want to become a great mentor?
Be committed
Know that your mentee can be anyone, anywhere…
Really listen, provide advice and encouragement
Play both roles – you should be learning from your mentee!
Have your own mentor & networks
Be open minded and compassionate
Have patience
Be a role model – your actions are being evaluated
Care about the relationship – invest in your mentee and you will get so much more out of the experience
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” - William Arthur Ward

16. Mentor’s checklist
Prioritise the mentoring session, making sure it isn’t “bumped” by other demands
Set aside time and space for the mentoring session so that you are uninterrupted (maybe meet up at a café for coffee)
Give yourself time to get to the meeting
Review any correspondence and notes that you may have before your sessions
Clear your mind and prepare to give the session your full attention. Get in the mood by letting go of your stresses and focus on the idea of assisting your mentee
Consider and collect any resources that might be useful to the mentee

17. What problems could occur?
Over dependence on the mentor
One-up manager may be suspicious
Politics become involved
Reduced or no support from your manager
No time to meet up
Poor scheduling (on either or both sides)
No clear goals
Not using the mentor properly

18. Mentoring checklist I know what I want from a mentor
I have identified potential mentors
I know why I want this person as a mentor
I have written expectations that I can discuss with my mentor
I have some ideas, subject to agreement with my mentor about how the relationship might operate
I am open to accepting ideas, comments and thoughts from another person

19. Don’t just take my word for it...
Everyone needs a mentor
Don’t just take my word for it...
As Richard Branson says when he talks about the importance of mentoring on his blog… 
“If you ask any successful business person, they will always have had a great mentor at some point along the road.“

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